In the spirit of the coming Merrrie Monarch Festival, an exhibition titled “Ke Kinolau O Laka: The Embodiment of Laka, Goddess of Hula” will be displayed from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily March 25 to April 24 at the Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
In the spirit of the coming Merrrie Monarch Festival, an exhibition titled “Ke Kinolau O Laka: The Embodiment of Laka, Goddess of Hula” will be displayed from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily March 25 to April 24 at the Volcano Art Center Gallery in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.
The multimedia exhibition features botanical sketches, pyrography carved gourds and dyed kapa pieces of Hawaii Island artists John Dawson, Jelena Clay, Bernice Akamine and Micah Kamohoali‘i.
The exhibit is open to the public and free of charge, although park entrance fees apply. A special opening reception is from 5-7 p.m. March 25 at the gallery.
Kinolau literally translates to “many bodies,” a reference to the belief in the myriad forms of the deities that make up the Hawaiian pantheon and that every plant, animal and force of nature, such as wind, rain and snow, is an embodiment of a god.
This concept encompasses more than ritual and religious belief: it is a way of being in the natural world. In Hawaiian culture, Laka is known for creating hula. With hula, a form of storytelling, Laka gave the Hawaiian people a way to record their history and pass it on to future generations.
A hula dancer looks to Laka for inspiration before a performance. The dancer is the body, that which is moved; Laka the inspiration, that which causes movement. The dancer and Laka become one in the dance. The dancer will adorn themselves in the kinolau of Laka which include ‘ohi‘a lehua, ‘ie ‘ie, hala pepe, maile, palapalai and other native ferns.
Each artist in the exhibition has explored the plant form of Laka by representing it in the art they have created. Dawson and Akamine have depicted the plants as botanical portraits. Clay has burned the image of the forms onto gourds and Kamohoali‘i has dyed his precious kapa fabric using these plants.
The plants also will be highlighted in a kuahu (altar) paying homage to Laka. The native lama wood base, adorned with various kinolau of Laka, will be dedicated each Friday of the exhibition by a kumu hula (hula teacher). Just as each story told through hula can differ and styles of teaching might vary, each kumu hula has their own way of honoring Laka.
VAC invites everyone weekly to see each kuahu arrangement. Because of the threat of the ‘ohi‘a wilt, the ‘ohi‘a lehua will be intentionally left out of the kuahu in an effort to protect Hawaii’s natural resources.
For more information about the exhibit, call 967-7565 or email gallery@volcanoartcenter.org.